Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Real Madrid
Match Time & Date:
20/09/2023
18:45
Prediction: 2-0
Union Berlin
Real Madrid kickstart their Champions League campaign with a home game against Union Berlin at their Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos made a promising start to the new La Liga season and, as a result, the bookies see them as favourites to win Wednesday’s encounter. All Eder Militao, Vinicius Junior, and Thibaut Courtois are sidelined with injuries, as well as talented Turkey midfielder Arda Guller.
The Germans, on the other hand, are eager to impress on their Champions League debut. Union Berlin enjoyed a very successful 2022/2023 Bundesliga campaign, but seeing that they suffered a dip in form in the national championship, losing to both Wolfsburg and Leipzig, we are tempted to put our money on the Spanish powerhouse. Forward Kevin Volland is back from the Bundesliga ban, while all Laurenz Dehl, Andras Schafer, and Rani Khedira miss out with injuries.
Highlighted Player (David Alaba):
David Alaba started his youth career at SV Aspern and in 2002 he joined Austria Wien. Bayern Munich chiefs decided to sign him and he was promoted to the reserve team for the 2009/2010 campaign. He made 33 appearances for Bayern Munich II and he has been playing for the first team since 2010. At the age of 17 Alaba made his Champions League debut on 9 March, 2010 against Fiorentina.
The Austrian international is a full back, but he is capable of playing as a left midfielder as well. He represented Austria at the 2016 European Championship finals in France, but das Team failed to impress at the showpiece tournament, suffering elimination in the group stages. David Alaba won his fifth Bundesliga title with Bayern in the 2015/2016 season and he clinched the Champions League trophy with FCB in 2013.
Speaking of his individual honours, he was named Austrian Footballer of the Year in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Alaba was born in Wien on 24 June, 1992.
Highlighted Team (Union Berlin):
Union Berlin are a German football club originally founded back in 1906. Die Eisernen play home games at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei which can hold up to 22,012 spectators. Union Berlin’s home kit is red, with the team wearing white shirts and white shorts on the travels.
Union Berlin finished the 1923 domestic campaign as runners-up, with the team suffering a 3-0 loss to Hamburger SV in the title game. Speaking of the club’s biggest success in the German Cup, die Eisernen made it to the final of the competition in the 2000/2001 season. Schalke, though, proved to be a big catch for Union Berlin in the decider, with Jorg Bohme scoring a brace for die Knappen (2-0).
Union Berlin will face their local rivals Hertha in the 2019/2020 Bundesliga season as they secured promotion to the German top flight, but Hansa Rostock are considered the club’s main rivals.
Sevilla
Tottenham
Liverpool
Wolfsburg 
Borussia Dortmund
Monza 
Juventus
